A joint team of Jamshedpur and Ranchi Units visited RMCH to meet the injured
villagers in Tapkara Police firing incident to prepare a preliminary report
on the same. The initial indications are ominous. 10 villagers died & more
than a dozen injured. The conditions of some of the injured are serious. There
appears to be a planned attempt. Firing continued for more than an hour as per
the unconfirmed sources. Firing was resorted to when villagers started moving
back. It is to be noted that this is a second and more serious incident within
a month of earlier firing by police at Ranchi.

We are also annexing below the first hand account of statements made by injured
including police officials for your ready reference.

Bed No.-235-Name-Masidas
Kondolna; Age-35; Vill-Jaipur; Bullet injury in the back; injury-serious; condition-stable.
his statement: sequencewise - lathicharge - unprovoked after departure of mla;
stone pelting - inreaction by crowd; firing in air; all of a sudden firing at
people. Bed No.-238-Name-N.M.Topno; Age-25; Vill-Pirthajamtoli Torpa; Ps-Tapkara;
Bullet injury in left hand; returning home; injury- serious; condition- stable.
Bed No.-240-Name-Sapan Bhengra; Age-40; Vill- Gondra; PS-Rania; Bullet injury
in left leg; returning home; injury- serious; condition-stable. Bed No.-241-Name-Poulush
Gudia; Age-45; Vill- Kaleth, Torpa; PS-Tapkara; Works in Tapkara Land Acqusition
Office; Applied for early leave for the day at around 4 PM; Took an hour to
reach the firing spot; Not aware of the incident; Did not see any stone pelting
or lathicharge; People going back in a rush; Suddenluy hit by bullet in the
right hand; Timing was around 5 PM; injury-serious; condition- stable.

Bed No.-242-Name-Marthin
Kondolna; Age-20; Vill- Kodakel; PS-Tapkara; Bullet Injury in the right leg;
injury- serious; condition-stable. **ICU-Sub-inspector R. N. Singh-Tapkara PS
Incharge; Did not talk; Head injury by stone. injury appears to be serious;
no doctors in sight; unable to confirm. General Ward:- Name-Samuel Topno; Age38;
Inhuman torture by three policemen; Bullet injury in head and leg. injury-serious;
condition- stable; Policemen brought him to hospital assuming him dead.

Statement Of Kishore Gudia
of Gondra Village-An Eye Witness:- *barrier uprooted by police party on Feb
2, 2001 for no reason. barricade had been put by Koel-Karo Jansagathan. there
action was questioned by two eyewitnesses. One of them Amrit Gudia beaten badly
and taken to tapkara police station. *police station gheroed the next day. *villagers
were demanding suspension and discharge of officers incharge of twin police
stations Rania and Tapkara. *MLA BJP of the area Mr. Kochhe Munda called on
the spot. he had a meeting with police officials on the spot.left the scene
after meeting. *police resorted lathicharge soon after. *in reaction villagers
started pelting stones. *firing in airfor some time (from the roof top) to disperse
crowd. *When crowd started moving back suddenly rifle welding policemen started
) firing on the crowd. *50-60 rifle welding policemen were there. *police official
found dead(half body charred)was last seen with MLA. *Does not know Nizamuddin-A
known wood mafia reported to have provoked villagers to turn violent (Police
version appearing in newspaper). Statement of F.K.N.Kujur-DSP-Khunti-Ranchi-Minor
injury by stone. Age-27; Posted-1 year and 5 months; *lathi welding police party-13
sections. *tear gas-1.5 sections. *armed force-2 sections. *

Soon after the departure
of local MLA crowd turned voilent and started pelting stones.after discussion
people had already started dispersing. However still 1500 people were there
on the spot.memorandum submitted.crowd was demanding suspension and discharge
of Officers incharge of twin PSs Tapkara and Rania. *Rania OC reported to have
seen movement of armed people (suspected nexalites) in the area. police force
went there and uprooted the barricade.police action was questioned by a person
drunk. He was manhandled and arrested by police party.